


No Change of Heart (A Change in Me)

by MarvelousMusings



Category: Black Panther (2018), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BAMF Shuri (Marvel), Canon Divergence - Black Panther (2018), Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, POV Third Person, baby's first multi chapter fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:14:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22371637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarvelousMusings/pseuds/MarvelousMusings
Summary: Bucky Barnes isn't who he used to be. Then again, neither is Shuri.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Shuri
Comments: 14
Kudos: 40





	1. CHAPTER ONE

**Author's Note:**

> I'll probably change the title, the summary, and do edits a million times, but I figured if I didn't start somewhere I would never end up actually putting this out. So here you have it - the first chapter of my first long-haul fic. I do hope you enjoy it. Chapters will be coming out in pretty rapid succession, as they are already written and just in need of some final edits!
> 
> As usual, leave a comment and/or kudos. I find them far more encouraging than I probably should! XD

**CHAPTER ONE**

“Brother, you are asking me to do something that cannot be done,” Shuri insisted, stumbling along beside him as he marched in quick step down the echoing corridor.

T’Challa could not help the slight smile that quirked at the corners of his lips, “Were you not telling me two hours ago about your genius?”

“I am a genius,” she corrected pointedly, “but I am _not_ a miracle worker. What you are asking me to do - the science, the technology does not exist yet.”

“Then I suppose you had better work on that,” he smirked, stopping suddenly, just outside the door to the lab.

Shuri peered at the massive mahogany doors with more apprehension than she ever had before, “Is he in there?”

“Yes, he is.”

“T’Challa, I don’t know-”

“Too bad. Best not to keep our guest waiting,” he said and without another moment’s hesitation, he slung the doors wide and made his way in with Shuri tight on his heels, “Leave us,” he instructed of her staff.

_“PLEASE_ ,” she added apologetically as her technicians scattered without so much as a word, save for one who stood over a wide metal tube, “Well, where is he?”

“We have outfitted this chamber with cryogenic technology-”

The technician was quickly cut off by Shuri’s silencing hand, “‘You mean Barnes is in that  _ thing _ ?”

“...Yes,” the young man replied, appearing slightly concerned with the princess’ reaction, his expression turning to relief when she did not turn on him, but rather on T’Challa.

“Did you instruct them to do this?” she asked, her lips drawn up into a tight line, her mounting rage evident.

Her brother shrugged, backing away a few paces so as to be out of range should she have elected to throw something, “Barnes and I discussed; we decided it would be safest for everyone involved if he were...neutralized...until we came up with an appropriate solution.”

“You cannot be serious,” she barked in her disbelief, peering beyond the glass at the man’s frozen features, “Tell me, T’Challa, how do you expect me to just _create_ a solution that will fix this man if he isn’t awake to tell me if it’s working or not? Am I just supposed to take my best guess? I don’t even know what I’m looking for. What am I supposed to be eliminating from his memory? Surely you didn’t expect me to just do a hard restart and leave him with no memory at all.”

“We know what needs to be eliminated. We have it written down,” T’Challa said, trying his best to remain calm even as she paced the room in her anger, “Before Captain Rogers left he gave us a list of trigger words.”

She turned to him again, her arms tight across her chest, her voice clenched in her throat, “Do you even know what the trigger words do?”

“I would have thought that was obvious. They turn him into a murdering-”

“ _Obviously,_ ” she glowered, rolling her eyes, though she at least made an effort this time to keep her voice from jumping octaves, “but do you know what they do psychologically? Do you know if he is _cognizant_ of what he is doing while he is under the influence of those  _ words _ ?”

“I...didn’t think to ask,” he admitted, “I didn’t think it would matter.”

“Brother, it  _ all _ matters. You are already asking me to do the impossible and then you have to go and make it more difficult still…” she said, rubbing her temples in exasperation, “I need you to wake him up,” she murmured, eyeing the technician pointedly.

“In my professional opinion, Princess-”

“Thank you for your _professional opinion,_ but there really isn’t time for that sort of thing right now. Turn the machine off and bring some blankets for him - as many as you can find. Then you’re dismissed. You too, T’Challa.”

“I’m dismissed, am I?” the King asked, brow quirked.

“Yes, you are,” she confirmed, taking a look at the machinery. The machine - the cryogenic chamber, as the lab technician had called it - was not something she’d seen before. Once Barnes was out of it, she took note of the fact that she was going to have to learn how the thing worked.

“If you’d like to make yourself useful, T’Challa,” she called after him, “you could bring something up from the kitchen, since I’m sure you didn’t think to offer him anything to eat before you put him under.”

“Right,” he scoffed, shaking his head, relieved that she had returned to some semblance of her usual self after her tirade, “I’ll be right back, then.”

“And you,” she murmured, accepting the blankets that the technician offered before taking a seat alongside the cryogenic chamber, “I need you to tell me how long he will be like this. I need to get started with my work as quickly as possible.”

“I...I can’t be sure, Your Highness,” the timid boy replied, practically vibrating in his shoes as she closed her eyes and took in a breath to compose herself.

“That’s alright,” Shuri sighed in exasperation, kicking her feet up and mentally preparing for the long night ahead, “I’ll need him connected to the feed so that I can check his vitals. Once you’ve done that, you’re finished for the night.”

“Can I just apologize-”

“No, there’s no need,” she assured, waving him off, though she truly wanted nothing more than to throttle him. “You were only following your orders. Bad orders, but that isn’t your fault.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” he squeaked appreciatively, breathing a sigh of relief as he pulled up the holographic vital indicator.

“Perfect,” she sighed, sinking further into her chair then, picking up the chicken-scratched notes that both T’Challa and the Captain had scribbled about Barnes earlier on in the afternoon, “You have a good night. And...tell you what, send a message to the others; none of you will be due in until noon tomorrow. I’d like some time to get our new friend situated without prying eyes.”

“I’ll let them know.”

It was then that she was left alone, the dim evening light, filtering in through tall windows. Shuri listened to the diligent whirring of the chamber as it went about _defrosting_ her new project. She read quietly to herself from the few sections of the haphazard notes that she could make out - tales of the Winter Soldier, notations about what triggers turned the man before her into that reckless killing machine that had done away with so many over the last seventy years.

For the rest of the night, Shuri sat by the chamber’s side, her eyes darting between the occasional research paper, Barnes’ vitals and her phone interchangeably. Minutes turned into hours and she found herself wrapping up in one of the blankets intended for her patient, her nose buried in a book as moonlight beat down from above.

She had very nearly dozed off, feeling her eyelids grow heavy when finally a groan ripped through the midnight air and she sat up straight as a board, her eyes trained on the man in front of her. He hadn’t budged, but she was certain the sound had come from him; there was nowhere else it could have reasonably come from.

“Sergeant Barnes,” she whispered, letting her blanket slip to the floor and creeping closer, “Are you awake? Can you hear me?”

“Wha-”

Her heart thumped faster as his limbs began to twitch. Barnes’ hand clenched at his side as he came back to himself, his eyes beginning to flutter.

“Sergeant Barnes, my name is Shuri,” she said with a soft smile, setting aside her tablet and lifting the lid for him. As the fresh air hit his face, his eyes fluttered open warily, “How are you feeling?”

He peered from one end of the room to the other, his alertness catching up to him as Shuri yanked the blanket up from its place on the floor and slung it around him, “You’re safe. I would like to ask you a few questions before we continue.”

“Am I...am I fixed? Was that it?” he asked, holding his head between his hands, “How long was I out?”

Shuri let out a huff of a laugh as her eyes skimmed his vitals, “You were only _out_ for a few hours, Sergeant, and it was against my say-so.”

“Are you...you’re not the doctor, are you?” he asked as she helped him to his feet, motioning to a chair that sat adjacent to the one where she’d been resting only moments prior. 

She laughed openly then, taking the seat next to him, giving him a once over. He was dripping wet, shivering slightly, but otherwise no worse for wear.

“No, I’m not a doctor,” she smiled kindly, “but I am in charge here. I’ll be creating the technology to clear you head, Sergeant. It doesn’t currently exist, but it will shortly.”

“Uh-huh,” he murmured absently, his eyes whirring around the room in astonishment, before he brought himself back into focus, “Listen, Shuri, if you could just wake me up when you’ve done whatever it is you gotta do-”

“That’s what I’d like to discuss with you first and foremost, Sergeant; I don’t think that you _need_ to be put under. In fact, it may make my job easier to have you conscious.”” Shuri reasoned.

“I’m here because I’m not stable. No, you gotta put me under.”

“Sergeant Barnes, I need you awake to tell me if it’s working,” she conceded, “This is incredibly experimental technology that we'll be working with. I’ll need you to be entirely transparent with me in whether or not you feel like this is...even _doing_ anything.”

He took a deep breath, eyeing her warily, “I’m dangerous.”

“Not here, you’re not.”

“You can’t guarantee that,” he sighed in exasperation, “I’ve been killing for seventy years, Shuri; you can’t just... _erase_ that.”

“But I think I can,” she countered, “Okay,” she let out a low breath, her head falling into her hands, “What can I do to convince you that you won’t be of any danger to me and my team?”

He paused then, seeming to actually consider her for a moment, before his eyes fell to his hand, clenched tightly in his lap, “You could...start with the earliest memories.”

“Alright,” she nodded, letting out a relieved breath as she reached across their arm rests to lay a comforting hand on his forearm, “Why don’t we make that step two?” Shuri offered, “Before we do anything else I’d like to have a look at your shoulder. I’d like to see what I've got to work with and...I need to take a look so that I can start work on a new model.”

“What if I don’t want a new one?”

“We don’t have to talk about that right now,” she said, “but I’d still like to have at least a quick look.”

“I’m sure it’s alright,” he grumbled, spinning away as she approached his side with eyes trained on what was left of his still short-circuiting arm, “You ain’t gotta - it’s sorta gruesome.”

Shuri let out an exasperated sigh, falling to her knees in front of him with flashlight in hand, “Please let me help you,” she murmured, offering him a soft smile as he eyes her, “I can help, but I need you to let me. I just want to check for infection...make sure that shoulder is in good shape.”

“Shuri, I don’t even know how much of my own shoulder is left,” he conceded, “I mean, this thing goes all the way up to-”

“Bast,” she gasped, her eyes going wide as he worked his shirt up over his head, revealing what remained of the mechanical arm, “James,” she mused, her fingers reaching out to trace the flaming red flesh that held the arm to his body, “Doesn’t this hurt? It looks horrible.”

“I don’t feel it so much anymore,” he admitted, watching as she worked, shuttering as she methodically touched at different intervals, “It’s only really uncomfortable for the first couple of days...after they shave down the bone.”

“How many times did they do that?” she asked, checking the exposed wiring.

“Uh, not sure. Lost track,” he grumbled, “It started maybe here,” he said, pointing to where his forearm would have been, “about sixty or so years ago. They’d take off another couple of inches every time they'd come to do adjustments to the arm.”

“I’m sorry; that must have been very difficult, James,” Shuri said softly, before pushing herself to her feet again and switching off her flashlight, “Well, I’d like to get rid of the rest of it. Start fresh. It won’t be painful and I’d like you to have as much time to heal as possible _physically_ before we start trying to adjust your brain.”

“How long would I have to rest?”

"Just a day or two. I’d like to get this done in quick succession; I’m sure you’d agree.”

“As a matter of fact, I would.”

“Good, then we’ll get started first thing in the morning,” she said with a yawn, “I know you want to get it over with as soon as possible, but trust me when I say you want me well-rested to operate. I have a very shaky hand when I’m tired,” she said with an impish little smile.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

A moment of congenial silence passed between the two before she let her hands clap together and she made her way to the exit, “I had one of my technicians prepare a room for you. And my brother should have had something brought up for you to eat as well.”

“That’s awful nice of you,” he said with a thankful lilt, “I’m fuckin’ starving.”

“I’m sure you are; my brother was terrible to have not offered you anything before putting you under. Coming off an anesthetic can be exhausting work. I can’t even imagine the effort it takes to come out of cryo.”

“Your brother work in your lab or something like that?” he asked, throwing a dodgy look over his shoulder as two of the Dora Milaje fell into step behind them.

“Something like that,” Shuri said, drawing his attention back, “Don’t worry about them. They’re my personal guard. They’re supposed to be following me.”

Several more corners rounded and she finally came to a stop in front of a tall mahogany door, not dissimilar from the one that led to her lab, “This one will be yours for the time being,” she said, pressing her hand to the keypad and allowing the door to swing open, “I’ll program the system so that it recognizes you tomorrow morning. You'll be able to get yourself in and out. For the time being, if you need me, I’ll be right down at the end of the hall. Right there.”

His jaw nearly hit the floor at the sight of the door that she pointed to. Just the door itself, he’d decided was worth more than his whole life, made of fine marble, white to the eye and smooth to the touch, he could tell.

“Is there anything else you can think of that you might need tonight?”

“Wha-” his attention pulled back to her hastily as he shook his head, “Oh, no, nothin’, Sugar. I’ll be fine ‘til mornin’.”

“Very good,” Shuri nodded, a smile warning her face as she pushed the door open for him, “In that case, enjoy your dinner. Have a good night’s sleep. I will be back to collect you in the morning.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo....does everyone remember three months ago when I said I would be updating this daily and then promptly dropped off the face of the earth? LOL what a time. Anyway, enjoy chapter two!

CHAPTER TWO

  
  


Shuri had barely slept that night. By the time she’d actually managed to lay down her head, it was as if she’d blinked and the sun had risen. After shifting around in a futile attempt for a few more minutes of rest, she finally pushed back the covers and slid out of bed.

She made quick work of her morning routine, twisting her braids into a bun atop her head and slipping into a soft linen dress. The corridors were deadly silent as Shuri tiptoed her way around the guards and down the stairs, descending to the kitchens.

Not even the cook had arrived, at that point due to the early hour. It allowed Shuri the space to wander; admittedly she wasn’t intimately familiar with the workings of any kitchen, much less the massive palace kitchens, and the last that she needed was a cook around to watch her clueless puttering. She settled for something simple – toast and bacon, tea for both of them. The tray laden with breakfast, Shuri made her way back up to the living quarters, pausing just outside of her new guest’s room, “Bucky?” she called softly, tapping at the door clumsily with her elbow since both hands were occupied, “Are you up?”

The door swung wide just as she was about to knock again and he ushered her inside. It was clear from the dark circles under his eyes that he likely hadn’t gotten much sleep either, “I brought breakfast,” Shuri said, setting it down on the coffee table and settling into the love seat situated just behind it, “How are you feeling?” she asked, pouring a cup of tea for herself and feigning off a yawn.

“I’m alright,” He took the mug that she offered out to him, “Didn’t sleep very well, but I haven’t slept well in 70 years, so...nothing new.” That was met with silence, so he continued, “But...thank you for your hospitality. And for this,” he said, holding up his mug in _cheers, “Princess.”_

Her eyes snapped to him then and she sat back. She didn’t realize up to that point that she’d hoped it would take longer for him to find out. It was nice, for that moment, having one person around who didn’t feel the need to walk on eggshells around her. _He’d called her Sugar._

“Who told you?”

Bucky couldn’t help his laugh, a genuine one as he sipped happily at his hot tea, “The girl who came to take my tray last night happened to let slip that she was thrilled to be meeting the princess’s new guest. And...well, my brain may be soup, but I can still string two and two together.”

“Right.” She blew out a heavy sigh, “I think I was hoping to...remain an enigma for a little while longer. We don’t always get what we want, though, I suppose. Please,” she said, motioning toward the tray, “Eat something. We’ve got a long day.”

“Really?” he asked, snagging a piece of toast and leaning back against a bed post, “What’s on the docket, Your Majesty?”

She blanched at the honorarium before letting out a small laugh of her own, “You shouldn’t call me that.”

“Why?”

“Well, for one thing, _Your Majesty_ is my brother,” she remarked, relishing in the spluttering he did around his mouthful of toast and the tinge of red that crept its way up his neck, “You _could_ call me Your Highness, if you’d like; I’d prefer if you continued to call me just Shuri, though, Sergeant Barnes.”

A snort escaped him as he clutched at his flaming neck, “If you’re _just_ Shuri, then I’m just Bucky.”

“Seems fair,” she agreed, clapping her hands together then and pushing herself to her feet, “Finish that up,” she said, waving a hand in the direction of his rapidly cooling breakfast platter, “There are clothes for you in the closet. Get dressed and meet me in the foyer.”

Shuri collected her things and made her way downstairs. As she sat on the steps waiting for him she flipped her way through his virtual file, highlighting certain elements that she noted as _of use_ for a future time. After a quick five minutes, Bucky was rushing down the stairs behind her, his hair askew, but otherwise looking remarkably put together.

As they made their way out of the palace, Bucky froze on the front steps. It didn’t take her long to realize what had captured his attention – the sunrise. When you caught it at just the right time, the sun threw patterns across the grounds from its alcove cut between two rows of trees.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” she murmured, pausing to join him on the top step for a moment.

“It’s somethin’ alright.” He gave himself another moment to bask in it before blinking harshly and shaking his head, “Sorry.”

“I would venture to say that you haven’t had to opportunity to enjoy a sunrise in a while,” Shuri said as they continued their way down the steps and out onto the grounds, “You’re lucky. You’ll never see a sunrise more beautiful than one over Wakanda.”

She took the lead again as they circled the side of the palace.

“I believe it.”

“In here,” Shuri said, pulling out a small key and shoving open a seemingly innocuous side door. Once again, he froze, standing just off the entrance and taking in the sight. The small room was chiefly fashioned of a shining metal - vibranium, he presumed - but what wasn’t was crafted of a glistening marble, “Welcome to the workshop,” she murmured, giving him a light shove, causing him to trip forward slightly as he made his way over the threshold.

“Christ, you’ve got more than one of these?” he guffawed, eyeing the ceiling as the light from the doorway glistened and gleamed. Metallic tools lined the walls along with a myriad of monitors and machines, “How many labs could you possibly need?”

“This isn’t a lab,” she remarked, letting him walk around and admire as she made her way over to a wall where coveralls and a face shield hung, “Last night you saw the _lab. This_ is my workshop.”

“Is...there a difference?”

Shuri puttered around the space, collecting several power tools, and pulling out two folding stools from behind a large piece of machinery, “A _laboratory_ implies experimentation and exploration. A _workshop_ is a place like this – for more practical use. Have a seat. Take off your shirt.”

He let out a gasping laugh, though he did as he was instructed.

“You may also want to get this out of the way,” she murmured, pulling her stool up beside him and flipping his hair over the opposite shoulder to give herself a clear field of view. Once she was all set up, Shuri sat back, hands on her knees, “Can I have another look?” she asked softly, eyes darting between the black cap sleeve that covered what remained of his prosthetic arm and his face, in order to gauge his response.

Bucky paused, letting everything settle in, “Uh...yeah. Yeah, go ahead, Sug – Shuri.”

_He caught himself again. Damn._ An awkward silence settled between them as he pulled the cap off and set it off to his side. She leaned forward, flashlight in one hand and drill in the other. “Does it sting when it short-circuits?”

“No. No, I don’t think – _shit._ ” Bucky jolted from the table, arm stiffening and throwing him off balance as she yanked her tools free.

“Care to rescind that?”

He nodded, teeth gritted. “Yes,” he hissed, “I think I would.”

She paused for a moment, setting her tools off to the side before bending to collect something new from the floor at her feet, “I was going to try to deactivate the stimuli reactors before taking the damn thing off, but...no, I think the least painful way to do things may just be to-”

“Lop it off?”

“That would be...the more crude way to put it, but yes.”

“Do it.”

Shuri stood then, shuffling her way to the door. There had been a stark change in his demeanor that surprised her. “You stay there; I will be right back with an anesthetic. It should dull the pain while I-”

“I don’t want it,” he called after her, “Just do it.”

“Bucky, I don’t know...” she paused, shaking her head, “I don’t know how painful it could be. I really think-”

“I’ll just burn it off in five minutes anyway,” Bucky said, motioning her back, “Just...get it off, please.”

She swallowed past a steadily growing lump in her throat as she approached once again, taking her seat across from him, “You have to tell me if you need me to stop; do you understand? I’m not going to have you passing out from pain in my lab.”

If Shuri hadn’t been watching him so intently she would’ve missed the nearly imperceptible uptick at the corners of his mouth, “I thought you said this wasn’t a _lab._ ”

It took her a moment to register what he’d said as a joke, but when she did she gave him a nudge and her best attempt at a laugh, “Cute.”

He sobered once more then, leaning forward until his elbow met his knee and she had a clear field of vision, “I’ll tell you to stop, if I need it.”

“Good.”

And with that, she leaned down to collect her tools from the ground once more and went to work.

Detaching the mechanics from his shoulder was like trying to remove a thousand steel sutures. It took her sturdiest pair of pliers to break them – and even they began to dull after several hundred cuts. He flinched with everyone, but steeled himself immediately after, never insisting explicitly that she stop – though she did offer intermittent breaks throughout. Once the outer rim had been lifted, though, the whole thing more or less popped off with the lack of suction and he was left clean.

“There you go,” Shuri murmured, wiping down the residual with an antiseptic and bandaging him thoroughly, “Feel better?”

Bucky let out a low groan, his eyes meeting hers for the first time in hours, “I think I’m getting there.”

Shuri nodded, letting out a breath that she hadn’t realized she been holding. She let her hand rest on his shoulder for a moment before letting out a strained little cough and pushing herself to her feet, “Do your best to keep it clean. You need to change your bandages twice per day – once in the morning and again before you go to sleep. I can help, if you need it. I imagine it could be difficult to do single-handed.”

“Thank you,” he sighed, raking his hand through his hair.

She smiled warmly then, extending a hand to him, “Now that we’ve got that settled,” she continued, “I was thinking that _today,_ we could head into the city. There’s a lot you haven’t seen yet. Much for you to learn.”

“Actually,” he interjected, pulling his arm free, “I was hoping we could get started today. With the…other procedure.”

Her eyebrows shot high as she crossed her arms over her chest, “Other procedure? You mean your _brain_ _procedure?_ Your _highly experimental brain procedure?_ ”

“That’d be the one.”

“Absolutely not,” she shook her head emphatically, “You have already had what turned out to be _one_ major procedure today and it isn’t even noon. We are going to do something _fun,_ so that your body had time to _heal._ There are some things that even a supersoldier can’t recover from at lightning speed, and I would venture to say a complete shoulder disarticulation is probably one of those things.”

She slipped out of her coveralls and dropped her face shield to the ground then, heading toward the door, “Put your shirt on. We’re going into town.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos feed the writer! <3


End file.
